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Comorbidity of central auditory processing disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
C A Riccio1, G W Hynd, M J Cohen
1Center for Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602.
Insights
Children with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) show a high incidence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While not all CAPD cases meet ADHD criteria, language impairments are common, suggesting significant overlap.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Pediatric audiology
- Child psychology
Background:
- Children with ADHD often exhibit difficulties in central auditory processing.
- This has led to questions about whether ADHD and CAPD are a single disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of ADHD in children diagnosed with CAPD.
- To explore the relationship between CAPD and other behavioral and cognitive disorders.
Main Methods:
- Assessed 30 children meeting diagnostic criteria for CAPD.
- Utilized various assessment measures, teacher rating scales, and parent interviews.
Main Results:
- 50% of the CAPD sample met ADHD criteria, significantly higher than the general population.
- Impaired language abilities were prevalent in the entire sample.
- No significant differences were found in cognitive, auditory, or language measures between subgroups.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among professionals.
- Highlights the significant overlap between language and behavioral difficulties in children with CAPD.
Unlabelled:
Research has indicated that children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demonstrate significant difficulty on tasks used to assess central auditory processing skills. These findings have raised the question of whether ADHD and central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) represent a singular disorder.
Objective:
The current study explored the incidence of ADHD in a group of 30 children who met diagnostic criteria for CAPD.
Method:
Consecutive referrals specifically for this project were assessed on a variety of measures. In addition, rating scales were completed by teachers and structured interviews were completed with parents.
Results:
Results indicate that although the incidence rate of ADHD (50%) in this sample significantly exceeds that found in the normative population (p < .001), not all children with CAPD demonstrated behaviors consistent with diagnostic criteria for ADHD. Furthermore, there was a low incidence of any other behavioral disorder in this sample. In contrast, it was found that the sample as a whole demonstrated impaired language abilities. No significant differences emerged across cognitive, auditory, or language measures.
Conclusion:
This study further supports the need for increased collaboration of those professionals who work with these children given the extent of overlap of language and behavioral difficulties in this sample.